Johnson & Johnson LLP has filed a four-count complaint under California's Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act (AB 2777) on behalf of world-famous artist Paula Abdul against British media mogul Nigel Lythgoe, her former superior on the blockbuster television programs American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, as well as against various entities connected to and responsible for Mr. Lythgoe's behavior.
The complaint, which was filed on December 29th in Los Angeles Superior Court, asserts claims for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, and negligence stemming from a campaign of egregious misconduct perpetrated against Ms. Abdul over several years. This included Mr. Lythgoe assaulting Ms. Abdul in both a hotel elevator and private residence while in a position of professional and legal power over her, assaulting Ms. Abdul's assistant on the set of So You Think You Can Dance while in Ms. Abdul's presence, and even gloating to Ms. Abdul once he believed the statute of limitations to pursue claims against him for his misconduct had lapsed.
“AB 2777 was passed with the express purpose of giving voice to survivors of sexual abuse who had been pressured, coerced, or otherwise deterred from holding their abusers to account in the pre-MeToo era,” said managing partner Douglas L. Johnson in a statement after the filing of the complaint. “We are proud to help provide Ms. Abdul with access to the courts and a megaphone for her story to be told.”
In September of 2022, the California Legislature temporarily suspended the statute of limitations for certain sexual assault claims until the end of 2023 in light of the following findings:
(a) Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
(b) One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
(c) According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, only about 300 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police. That means more than two out of three go unreported.
(d) Thirty-three percent of women who are raped contemplate suicide; 13 percent attempt it.
(e) A 2016 analysis of 28 studies of nearly 6,000 women and girls 14 years of age or older who had experienced sexual violence found that 60 percent of survivors did not label their experience as “rape.”
(f) Women may not define a victimization as a rape or sexual assault for many reasons such as self-blame, embarrassment, not clearly understanding the legal definition of the terms, or not wanting to define someone they know who victimized them as a rapist or because others blame them for their sexual assault.
(g) When the perpetrator is someone a victim trusts, it can take years for the victim even to identify what happened to them as a sexual assault.
(h) For these reasons, it is self-evident that the unique nature of the emotional and psychological consequences of sexual assault, especially on women, can paradoxically permit wrongdoers to escape civil accountability unless statutes of limitation are crafted to prevent this injustice from occurring.
(i) Moreover, when these data are combined with widespread news reports of major companies being accused of covering up sexual assaults by their employees it is self-evident that statutes of limitation for sexual assault need to be crafted in a way that does not cause the covering-up company to enjoy the fruits of their cover-up solely because our statutes of limitation permit, and thus motivate, such behavior.
“Ms. Abdul should be commended for the immense courage required to take action against the type of abuse that was inflicted upon her,” said Mr. Johnson, “particularly when the alleged abuser is a figure so dominant in her profession. It was clearly a difficult decision to make, but Ms. Abdul knows that she stands both in the shoes and on the shoulders of many other similarly situated survivors, and she is determined to see that justice is done.”
A copy of Ms. Abdul's complaint may be viewed at this link. Coverage of the lawsuit may be viewed at, inter alia, the following publications:
- ABC7: Paula Abdul accuses 'American Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault in lawsuit (Video)
- American Songwriter: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol,' 'SYTYCD' Exec Producer Nigel Lythgoe, Alleges 2 Incidents of Sexual Assault
- AOL: Paula Abdul Sues Nigel Lythgoe For Multiple Sexual Assaults
- BBC: Paula Abdul sues Nigel Lythgoe over alleged sexual assault
- Billboard: Paula Abdul Sues ‘American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe Over Sexual Assault Claims
- Business Insider: Paula Abdul accuses producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault
- CBC News: Paula Abdul accuses American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault in lawsuit (Video)
- CBS News: Paula Abdul accuses former "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault in new lawsuit
- Cinemablend: Paula Abdul Files Lawsuit Against American Idol Producer Over Alleged Sexual Assault And More
- CNN: Paula Abdul accuses ‘American Idol' exec producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault, harassment
- Complex: Paula Abdul Accuses 'American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault
- Consequence: Paula Abdul Accuses American Idol Producer Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault
- Deadline: Paula Abdul Sues Nigel Lythgoe For Multiple Sexual Assaults; Alleged Attacks Occurred On ‘American Idol' & ‘SYTYCD'
- E! Online: Paula Abdul Sues Idol EP Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault (Video)
- Entertainment Tonight: Paula Abdul Accuses 'American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault in Lawsuit
- Fox 11 Los Angeles: Paula Abdul accuses former 'American Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault: report (Video)
- Fox News: Paula Abdul sues former 'American Idol' producer for alleged sexual assault (Video)
- HuffPost: Paula Abdul Sues ‘American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe For Alleged Sexual Assault
- Law360: Paula Abdul Accuses Ex-'American Idol' Producer Of Assault
- Law & Crime: 8 things to know about Paula Abdul's sexual assault lawsuit against Nigel Lythgoe
- Los Angeles Magazine: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe for Alleged Sexual Assault
- Los Angeles Times: Paula Abdul sues 'American Idol,' 'SYTYCD' producer Nigel Lythgoe over alleged sexual assault
- Marie Claire: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol' Producer for Alleged Sexual Assault
- Metro: Paula Abdul accuses American Idol's Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault
- NBC News: Paula Abdul accuses 'American Idol' executive producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault in new lawsuit
- New York Daily News: Paula Abdul sues 'Americal Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault
- New York Post: Paula Abdul sues ‘American Idol' executive Nigel Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault (Video)
- NME: Paula Abdul files lawsuit against 'American Idol' producer Nigel Lythgoe over sexual assault claims
- NPR: Paula Abdul accuses 'American Idol' producer of sexual assault
- OK! Magazine: Paula Abdul sues American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe for alleged 'sexual assault' (Video)
- Page Six: Nigel Lythgoe said he 'wanted to be the next person to abuse' Paula Abdul before sexual assault lawsuit
- Parade: Why Paula Abdul is Suing 'American Idol' Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe
- People: Paula Abdul Sues Nigel Lythgoe for Alleged Sexual Assault
- Radar: Paula Abdul Sues Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault, Claims He Forced Himself on Her During 'American Idol' and 'SYTYCD'
- Reuters: 'American Idol' star Paula Abdul sues producer Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault (Video)
- Rolling Stone: Paula Abdul Sues American Idol Producer Nigel Lythgoe Over Sexual Assault Claims
- Salon: Paula Abdul sues former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault: report
- SPIN: Paula Abdul Sues Nigel Lythgoe For Multiple Sexual Assaults
- Stereogum: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol' Producer For Sexual Assault
- The A.V. Club: Paula Abdul accuses So You Think You Can Dance's Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault
- The Daily Beast: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol' Exec Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault
- The Daily Mail: Paula Abdul SUES American Idol producer and So You Think You Can Dance co-judge Nigel Lythgoe for alleged 'sexual assault'
- The Guardian: American Idol star Paula Abdul sues producer Nigel Lythgoe for alleged sexual assaults
- The Hollywood Reporter: Paula Abdul Sues ‘American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe Over Sexual Assault Claims
- The Irish Times: American Idol's Paula Abdul sues Nigel Lythgoe over alleged sexual assault
- The Mirror: Paula Abdul sues American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault
- The New York Times: Paula Abdul Accuses Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault During 'American Idol'
- The Sun: Paula Abdul sues American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe for ‘sexual assault' incident during time on show (Video)
- The Telegraph: American Idol judge Paula Abdul sues 'Nasty Nigel' over sexual assault claims
- The Today Show: Paula Abdul Sues Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault
- TheWrap: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault
- TMZ: Paula Abdul Sues 'American Idol' Exec Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault
- Us Weekly: Paula Abdul Accuses Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault in New Lawsuit
- USA Today: Paula Abdul sues Nigel Lythgoe for sexual assault
- Vanity Fair: Paula Abdul Accuses "So You Think You Can Dance" Judge Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault
- Variety: Paula Abdul Accuses ‘American Idol' Producer Nigel Lythgoe of Sexual Assault
- Vulture: Paula Abdul Is Suing Nigel Lythgoe for Sexual Assault
- Washington Post: Paula Abdul accuses former ‘American Idol' producer of sexual assault
- Yahoo Sport UK: Paula Abdul sues Nigel Lythgoe for alleged sexual assault